Agrotain?

2001 was the 2^nd year of a 3-year project by the Ottawa-Rideau Regional Soil & Crop Improvement Association to assess the economic benefit of Agrotain treated urea-based fertilizer in spring wheat. Agrotain is a urease enzyme inhibitor designed to reduce the potential loss of nitrogen (N) from urea-based fertilizers broadcast on the soil surface.

In 2000, the Ottawa-Rideau Regional Soil & Crop Improvement Association ran strip trials in corn and spring wheat and the Durham East Soil & Crop Improvement ran strip trials in winter wheat. On the winter wheat and corn, there was no significant difference in yield between the Agrotain treated urea and the non-treated urea. However, with an average increase of 8 bu/ac of spring wheat from the two reps. at Cornerview Farms, the agrotain treatment looked promising. The weather conditions in 2000 were wetter and cooler than normal.

The spring of 2001 was extremely dry. This allowed for early seeding of the spring wheat. At most of the farm locations, there was no rainfall for 20-25 days after the fertilizer was applied, and the soil surface remained dry.

2001 Agrotain project on spring wheat:

Project Co-operators: John Droogh, Kevin & Calvin Ferguson - Ferguson Farms, Jack MacLaren, Orlin Pelton & Rick Schouten - Cornerview Farms.

In 2001, the average response to applied nitrogen fertilizer was 11 bu/acre. The average response to Agrotain treated urea-based fertilizer as compared the Non-Agrotain treated fertilizer, was only 1.3 bu/acre, with a range from -1.8 to 8.6 bushels per acre. Depending on the rate of urea fertilizer applied, the additional cost of the Agrotain is about $10.00 per acre, therefore the break-even is 2.0 bushel per acre at $5.00 per bushel for Hard Red Spring Wheat.

| Top of Page |